India

India is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power.

A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 29 states and 7 union territories. India's capital city is New Delhi and its largest city is Mumbai with an estimated population in the city and metropolitan area of 20.7 million (2011).

Tourism in India, ranking third among countries with the fastest growing tourism industries over the next decade, contributes 6.6% of the nation's GDP (2012) which support 39.5 million jobs, 7.7% of its total employment.

The most popular states for foreign tourists are: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, and West Bengal.

The four most visited cities of India by foreign tourists are: Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Agra.

One of the world's oldest cities and Hinduism's holiest city is the city of Varanasi, associated with the Ganges River.

It is recommended to visit Chandigarh, a city and a union territory. It is one of the early planned cities and one of the cleanest in India.

See more tourist information on India.